Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images
Hornets guard Coby White over basketball net
The Hornets are coming off their best season in the past 10 years, but they were still unable to snap a postseason drought that now sits at a full decade. They did manage to make it in the play-in round, and the team was mocked for commemorating that achievement by framing the net from their one and only win.
There hasn’t been a single NBA fanbase that’s been subjected to more disappointment over the past 10 years than the poor souls who root for the Hornets, who’ve become pretty accustomed to being led down since the franchise played its inaugural season all the way back in 1988.
Charlotte has only made the playoffs ten times in its 36 seasons of existence (including the years the team spent as the Bobcats). Six of those appearances ended with a loss in the first round, and the other four were extinguished in the second, which remains the high-water mark when it comes to the postseason.
The Hornets haven’t gotten the chance to raise that bar since a one-and-done appearance in 2016, and they are firmly the NBA team with the longest active postseason drought (the Wizards are currently in second place at five years).
They did get a glimmer of hope this season after securing a play-in berth for the third time since that format was introduced, and the team was able to secure its first-ever win in that round before being sent home.
Most franchises wouldn’t celebrate what can barely be described as an achievement, but they’ll apparently take anything they can get based on the keepsake they presented to a backup who stepped up in that contest.
The Hornets framed the net from their play-in game over the Heat
The Hornets will head into the upcoming season facing a fair amount of uncertainty after trading LaMelo Ball, the former face of the franchise, to the Timberwolves in exchange for Naz Reid and a sizable haul of draft picks.
Brandon Miller is expected to step up to fill that void, and it would appear they’re going to be turning to Coby White to pick up some of the slack when you consider they signed the guard to a three-year, $74 million deal in July.
The Hornets acquired White from the Bulls last season, and he didn’t start a single game after arriving in Charlotte. However, he averaged 15.6 points and nearly 19 minutes off the bench, and he contributed 19 points to the cause in the 127-126 victory over the Heat in the play-in game that preceded the season-ending loss to the Magic.
He was the fourth-highest scorer in that win, but he was nonetheless the recipient of an interesting memento the team apparently went out of its way to preserve: one of the nets from the game, which was presented to him as a gift at a meal the team hosted after he got his new contract.
offseason & more.
our most exclusive behind the scenes series – episode 1 of reel access, out now on YouTube! pic.twitter.com/rVnS70Dv9e
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) August 20, 2026
That clip came from a more than 30-minute Real Access episode that featured plenty of moments the social media team could have highlighted.
However, they opted to go with that one, which predictably sparked plenty of mockery from fans who hopped into the comments to ask “Why would you frame this?” and question the decision to “cut down a fake playoff basketball net to keep a mid player” (along with more than a few obligatory “poverty franchise” barbs).
I guess it’s the thought that counts.